5 Scary Lesser Known Dungeons and Dragons Monsters

 Man that title is clunky...

Dungeons and Dragons monsters are a wide range from cute and cuddly to giant kaiju monstrosities made to slap the smug smile off of any player. As a horror fan, I love finding the exceptionally scary, exceptionally gory monsters to add that little touch of fear to my games. Here are five lesser known but incredibly terrifying Dungeons and Dragons monsters that are not in the Monster Manual. 

Unpleasant dreams. 

5: Carrionette (Von Richton's Guide to Ravenloft)

In the proud tradition of Chucky and Annabelle, D&D now has its own scary doll. The carrionette is a construct made to look like a child's toy, but when it animates it only has one goal: Stab a living being with an enchanted silver needle, making them switch souls with the victim. The carrionette can then cause havoc in the victim's body, making them perform whatever sinister acts come to mind while the victim is stuck in a dememnted Barbie body. It makes you wonder weather the carrionette really is a demonic soul or if it's another adventurer that was body swapped long ago and has since gone completely mad...

4: Star Spawn (Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes)

The Far Realm is a place beyond the realms of sanity where only the most desperate or mad adventurer dares to travel. Emissaries of the realm, such as mind flayers and star spawn, only hit at the madness that can be found there. Constructs of insanity, the star spawn only come to the Material Plane to prepare the world for its inevitable slip into darkness. Perfect for any Lovecraft fans who want to add some more cosmic horror into their campaigns. 

3: Yuan-Ti Anathema (Volo's Guide to Monsters)

You know what would be scarier than a medusa? If we just skipped the woman's head and had all the writhing snake heads come right off the neck like a hydra nightmare. That's what the Yuan-Ti anathema is, a snake tail, human torso and arms, then a bunch of snake heads. Their Ophidiophobia aura makes any creatures looking at them fear both Yuan-Ti and snakes in the area, making some of the strongest party members completely useless with fear of the slithering hoards. 

2: Oblex (Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes) 

What's scarier than a slime? A slime that can take human form and pretend to be a person until it's too late. Combining the mimic and the slime into a John Carpenter horror monster. The oblex looks human until you notice a tendril of ichor leading to a giant blobby mass of evil. It's unnerving to see one, but how about a whole village of monsters all interconnected by tendrils and all mimicking humanity until the poor adventurer comments on an oddity.... Then they all look at once...

1: Elder Brain Dragon (Fizban's Treasury of Dragons)

Combining the overwhelming raw power of a dragon with the horrifying implications of a mind flayer and you get the elder brain dragon. After an elder brain takes over the body of a dragon, the creature's breath weapon becomes full of infectious illithid tadpoles which can turn anyone into the octopus faced monsters. It's greed for treasure and the lust for power combine into a creature that few can stand against.